Baker Mayfield went from being cut by the Panthers to being claimed by the Rams to taking the field on Thursday Night Football in a span of four days. It was a wild week, to say the least, traveling across the country and learning a playbook in a very short period of time.
Sean McVay didn’t give him the start against the Raiders, but he did let him play the rest of the game after pulling John Wolford three snaps into the night. The results were obvious, with Mayfield leading the Rams to a comeback victory over Las Vegas, driving down the field for two touchdowns with less than five minutes left.
Expectations were low for Mayfield, given the circumstances, but how did he play in his Rams debut? Much better than many thought he would. He came out firing against Las Vegas, completing his first pass for 21 yards and a first down to Van Jefferson.
First first down for Mayfield as a Ram ‼️@bakermayfield 📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/cM6YNTTxcf
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022
His next two passes went for even bigger gains. He hit Tutu Atwell for a 22-yard completion over the middle and later on in the first half, he threw a dart to Ben Skowronek for 22 yards on third-and-13.
Here’s the throw to Atwell, which was a pretty simple one where the receiver was open.
Gain of 22 yards from @bakermayfield ➡️ @tutuatwell!
📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/9EauVjiHwt
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022
And here’s the beautiful toss to Skowronek for a first down.
Baker throws a strike on 3rd & 13 🎯#LVvsLAR on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/m65o43ZLpv pic.twitter.com/QffBAxFzMS— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2022
There were obviously some growing pains and miscues, which were to be expected for a quarterback who just joined the team two days ago, but nothing terribly costly. Mayfield turned the wrong way for a handoff on one play and his timing was off on another in-breaking route to Jefferson, throwing it before the wideout was looking, but those were just minor mistakes.
Other than that, he didn’t have many negative plays. Sure, he was sacked four times, but those can’t be pinned on him. And he did an excellent job avoiding a possible fumble on one particular sack.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mayfield had zero turnover-worthy plays, so he didn’t come close to throwing an interception or making a mistake that could cost the Rams a possession. He made two big-time throws, which were presumably the 32-yarder to Skowronek and the game-winner to Jefferson.
That’s only one fewer big-time throw than Wolford and Bryce Perkins combined for all season.
His passing chart is impressive, too.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, but seeing as he practiced once with the Rams and was on the team for two days before taking the field, it was a valiant showing by the veteran quarterback.
Two of his best throws came on the final drive of the night, too. His 32-yard bomb to Skowronek was a combination of a good throw and a better catch, while his game-winner to Jefferson was dropped in a bucket perfectly for his receiver.
BIG BEN SKOWRONEK#LVvsLAR on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/m65o43ZLpv pic.twitter.com/0RRRc8cKRa— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2022
It doesn’t get much better than this in that spot.
.@bakermayfield's first TD as a Rams gives us the LEAD!!
📺 @NFLonPrime 📲 https://t.co/4beUdmlymg pic.twitter.com/lrGpPjUMD4
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 9, 2022
Mayfield has a solid base to build on now and has already been committed to as the starter the rest of the season. It’ll help having a week and a half to prepare for the Rams’ next opponent, the Green Bay Packers, so it’ll be fun to see how he performs at Lambeau Field next Monday night.
This was as good a start as he and the Rams could’ve asked for, though.
